


If You Ever Want To Join Me

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 16:27:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12891948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: Nostalgia. Family. What-ifs. In another life, right?





	If You Ever Want To Join Me

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by/title from: ‘Dancing In The Dark’ by Imagine Dragons. This is such a dickkory song, like heck. If I had to chose Damian’s parents, I’d 400% choose Dick and Kory, whether they’re romantically involved or not.

Climbing into windows was a bad habit, one he couldn’t ever break, not even at Titans Tower.

He came as soon as he heard. As soon as Kory called. Big, bad Damian Wayne was sick. Had to be carried home from a mission like a wounded puppy, because he’d passed out midfight.

And he was probably overreacting. Lord knew his phone was full of messages from Jason, Tim and Steph all saying as much. That he’d gone into ‘dad mode’ and they were wondering if he was going to try to fight this flu bug the same way he’d fight Deathstroke.

Har har. They were all so hilarious.

Still – it was an accident, when he found himself climbing through the window, when he could have – and really _should_ have – used the front door. Or at least rang and said he was there.

But it was too little too late, as he dropped to the floor of the living room. Damian was curled up on the sprawling sofa, a little, shivering, blanketed lump in the corner, head resting on a pile of pillows, his feet shoved against the side of the armrest. He wasn’t in uniform, as far as Dick could tell, but maybe a set of pajamas. A box of tissues sat on the cushion next to his face, a mug of steaming tea on the table in front of him.

Kory was standing over him, one hand carefully stroking his hair, the other reading a thermometer. She too was in civilian clothes. Leggings and a sweatshirt. Comfortable to relax in, but also appropriate, in case she had to jump up and run to the store for cough medicine at a moment’s notice.

She’d jumped when Dick landed, starbolts already lighting up her hands, as she instantly prepared to protect Damian and their home at all costs. He held his hands up in surrender immediately, smiling as realization dawned on her face.

“Oh!” She exclaimed. The buzzing electricity of her power died down, exposing quiet music from the stereo across the room playing. Kory’s choice, if he had to guess. Nostalgic pop songs didn’t seem to be Damian’s style. “Dick, I’m sorry, you didn’t have to come.” At this, Dick watched as Damian’s tired eyes cracked open. “I only called to let you know…”

“I know. But I wanted to come by anyway. Just to make sure he really is okay.” Dick chuckled. Damian rolled his eyes, curling tighter into his blanket.

“It really is just a cold.” Kory explained again, as Dick came forward. “He passed out on patrol from exhaustion, it turned out. Not directly due to his illness, but I’m sure his weakened immune system played a part.”

“Of course.” Dick snorted, sitting on the sofa next to Damian’s head. Damian still didn’t say anything. Seemed about to try to roll over, but was too tired, so settled for looking pointedly away from his brother. Dick just laughed, and ran his hand over Damian’s hair. “You aren’t a real Bat until you almost kill yourself for the cause, right? Sleep is for the weak, or whatever.”

Damian scoffed.

“Aw, let me play big brother, just this once.” Dick whined. Damian rolled his eyes, but didn’t fight it when Dick reached down to fix his blanket. Let his eyes droop closed when Dick went back to stroking his hair. “Get some sleep, Damian.”

Silence lingered after that, with both Dick and Kory watching as Damian did just that. They both stared as he settled deeper into the sofa cushions, pushed a little against his pillow mound, in a halfhearted attempt to get closer to Dick. Listened as his watery breathing slowly evened out in his slumber.

“…Have I mentioned how much _I_ appreciate how much _you_ love him?” Dick whispered with a wistful smile, gazing lovingly down at Damian’s face.

“You don’t need to.” Kory supplied.

“But I _want_ to.” Dick glanced up at her. “Thank you.”

“…You’re welcome.” Kory sighed incredulously, though with an amused smile. She slowly perched herself on the sofa’s arms, peeking at Dick’s fingers as they carded through Damian’s hair.

“And, of course…I didn’t just come here to see Damian.” Dick hummed pleasantly. Kory looked up at his face. He was looking at her now. “I came to see you, too.”

“Oh?”

“I know. Shocking, right?” Dick laughed, though it was clearly self-depreciating. “But I did. I haven’t seen you in ages. Wanted to catch up.”

“That’s…kind of you.” Kory grinned. “I…suppose I feel a little guilty now, then.”

“Why?”

“Damian has offered to let me accompany me back to Gotham to see you. He knows how important we…” She hesitated, and Dick knew why. “… _once_ were to each other. But I always turned him down.”

“I don’t blame you. Besides, I’ve been in and out of Gotham so much lately, I probably wouldn’t have been there anyway.” Dick soothed. “How’s leading the Titans going?”

“Good.” Kory nodded. “Though if you asked Damian, he’d say _he_ was the leader. And we let him believe that to appease him.” She paused. “Though I have no doubt one day he _will_ be the leader, and he’ll be wonderful at it. Just as you and Tim were.”

“Ha, don’t tell him that, he’ll throw a fit.” Dick shook his head. “…They anything like us back in the day?”

“Only in bad jokes.” Kory laughed. Then frowned almost immediately. “There seems to be much less…camaraderie among them. They’re much more serious. And I’m not just talking about Damian.”

“Well, they live in a much more serious world than we did, unfortunately.” Dick sighed, letting his hand still on the side of Damian’s head. “And less camaraderie? What do you mean, they’re not all dating each other like we were?”

Kory laughed again. “No, no, I mean…I mean they all keep their hearts so closed. They’re attempting to befriend each other, but are so scared of the outcomes.”

“Yeah, well. I guess I don’t blame them.” Dick looked down at Damian. His hand had crept out of his blanket now, and past his hill of pillows. It’d found a rare loose spot of Dick’s uniform, and was clinging to it, like a toddler would a favorite toy. “They’ve all been hurt pretty bad. It’s hard to open your heart back up after some of the things they’ve been through already.”

“I know.” Kory agreed. She reached down, and pulled Damian’s blanket tighter around him. “That’s why I stay – to show them that it _is_ possible to love again. And there is no greater team to restart with, than this one right here.”

Dick glanced up at her, eyes near adoring, and she couldn’t keep the gaze. “Kory, have I ever mentioned how much none of us deserve you?”

“Oh, stop.” Kory laughed. Her smile remained, but morphed slightly. From humour into…almost motherly, as she carefully ran her hand across Damian’s shoulder.

“I’m serious. You’re way too good for any of us.” Dick pushed in jest. Kory just shook her head, focused on Damian for just a moment. And as she watched Damian, Dick watched her, but let his mind wander, just slightly. Tuned into the radio just as the DJ switched songs – and snorted. “Oh man, really? Of all the songs, they play this one?”

Kory blinked and looked up. “Hm?”

“This song. _Our_ song, from back in the day.” Dick laughed, sitting back against the cushions. “We’d dance to it when I would sneak into your room. Listen to it while we fell asleep. Or when we would start to-”

“Richard!” Kory cut off sternly, though laughed as she did so. “Sleeping or not, there is a _child_ in this room, and he does not need to hear about such things!”

“Oh, _now_ you’re modest about it?” Dick laughed harder, relishing the slight blush in Kory’s cheeks. She waved him off, rolling her eyes in the process. Dick let his chuckles die down slightly, staring at her all the while. “…When was the last time you danced to it?”

Kory seemed to think, glancing over at the stereo, like it would create a hologram of days gone by. “…Not since you, I suppose.” She sighed, looking back. “You?”

“I can’t even remember, so probably not since then either.” Dick paused, looked down at Damian, then back up at Kory. At the beautiful picture she created, just sitting there, and – god, how much he missed those good old days. “…Want to dance to it now?”

She blinked again, and almost looked alarmed. “With _you_?”

“Well sure as hell not with Damian, he’s unconscious.” Dick joked.

And lucky for him, Kory laughed, slowly shifting to get to her feet. “…I’d like nothing more.”

Dick took her hand, holding it even as she stood, only releasing it to fall into position. Her hands on his shoulders, his on her waist. It was a closeness that they shouldn’t share, not after their history, and what they were supposed to be to each other now, but could never stay away from, no matter how hard they tried.

(And they, of course, admittedly, might not have tried as hard as they should have.)

But still, the emotions were immediate, as they fell into position, because it felt so natural. Because it felt so _right_. Because it was all either of them wanted, even though the universe always got in the way.

Kory could feel her heartbeat speeding up, could feel Dick’s under her fingers. And he was instantly looking at her with that way of his – like she was the whole world, and the only thing that mattered.

( _But he looks at everyone like that_ , she had to remind herself. He looks at Bruce and Tim and Donna and Damian like that.)

But. Still.

She doesn’t know who made the first move, or what counted as it. He smiled, soft and warm and _safe_. She gently shifted her hands to carefully run her thumb along his throat. He swallowed, and his fingers flexed.

The song continued to play. _Their_ song.

It was simultaneous. He pulled her forward just as she tugged at him. His arms enveloped her waist as she wrapped hers around his shoulders, leaning her head down to press her face along his neck.

And he hesitated here – barely, but enough for her to notice – before leaning down himself. Letting his breath wash across her check before he kissed it tenderly, and hid his face in the curls of her hair.

“I miss you, you know.” Dick whispered gently. “Every day.”

“And I miss you, as well.” Kory hummed in return, closing her eyes. She felt a lump in her own throat, and found herself digging her nails into Dick’s shoulders. “And I…still love you, too.”

Dick didn’t respond. She didn’t expect him to.

“I know I shouldn’t. I know we’re done.” She said instantly. She missed the faint shake of Dick’s head. “But I just. I never stopped loving you. I don’t know _how_.”

He squeezed her, hard, shifting to press another kiss against her face. Lingered there this time, as they continued to sway to the music.

“I’m sorry.” She murmured. “I’m so sorry, Richard.”

“Don’t be.” Then he chuckled, and leaned his forehead against her temple. “And don’t act like I don’t still love you too.”

And despite it all, she still smiled. She knew he probably didn’t mean romantically. In truth, maybe she didn’t either. Their love transcended that, transcended all labels humanity could come up with.

“It’s just…life, I guess.” Dick sighed, and he sounded sad. “Never the right moment, never the right place, blah blah blah…”

She laughed herself as she finally pulled back, just slightly. Just enough to look at him and his deep ocean eyes. “Another lifetime, perhaps.”

Dick grinned, bright and carefree, just like she liked it. “Wait for me there?”

And as the song began its final bars, Dick released his grip on her, only to hold her face, lean up and kiss her forehead, even as she proudly responded: “Always.”

The song ended, and while the request to dance to another tune was on Dick’s tongue, they were interrupted by none other than the reason they were brought together tonight. The one they both cared for, as if they were his father and mother.

(In that other life, perhaps.)

“You two are disgusting.”

They both blinked and looked over. Damian had apparently woken back up during their nostalgia. Was staring sleepily at them, with a grumpiness reserved only for toddlers.

“Aw,” Dick cooed, even as Kory laughed. They broke apart, and Kory watched as Dick leapt back to his brother’s side. Ran his fingers through his hair. “But you love us.”

“Hardly.” Damian whined, even as Dick plopped onto the floor next to him, grabbed that hot tea to offer him. Kory silently went around him, taking her perch behind Damian’s mountain of pillows, and throwing her arm across the back of the sofa. “You’re both nuisances, if nothing else.”

“Mhm. Sure.” Dick laughed, pressing a kiss to Damian’s nose after he refused his drink. “Go back to sleep, kiddo.”

Damian’s lips twisted, in an instant of worry, and perhaps a little childish fear. “…Are you two going to remain?”

“What, you think we’d just _leave_ you here?” Dick grinned.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, small one.” Kory added, gently rubbing Damian’s shoulder, even as Dick fixed his blanket. Damian instantly closed his eyes again, obviously once more feeling secure, though he’d never admit it. Kory hummed a laugh and glanced up. She and Dick’s eyes met, and instantly, they smiled. Secretly, almost knowingly, as Dick silently put his hand over the one Kory still had on Damian’s shoulder. “Now go back to sleep, Damian.”

Yeah. In another life. One worlds and universes and galaxies away.


End file.
